Barrows equipment degrades as it is used. Equipment received from the Barrows minigame is fully repaired and can be used for 100,000 charges of combat until it degrades completely and requires repair before it can be used again; it does not suffer in performance as it degrades from fully repaired to fully degraded. The remaining charges of Barrows equipment can be checked by right-clicking it and selecting 'check-charge'. Additionally, Barrows equipment may only be traded if fully repaired or fully degraded. Items lose 20% charge if reclaimed from a gravestone after dying.

There are two ways to repair Barrows armour. Players can talk to any of the NPCs listed below and they will repair the items for a price, or repair the pieces themselves using an armour stand in any player-owned house for a reduced cost based on their Smithing level. The equipment can be repaired at any stage, and the cost will be adjusted according to how much it has degraded. The repair costs below are as if the equipment has fully degraded.